Compartment door latch



Jan. 10, 1950 c. LEDIN COMFARTMENT DOOR LATCH Filed March 29, 1944 INVENTOR Char/ex Le WM ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 10, 1950 ("/UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE Charles Ledin, Stamford, Conn., assignor to The Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company, Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application March '29, 1944, Serial No. 528,561

This invention relates to a latch and more particularly to a latch to be used on an automobile compartment door.

Latches of the general type must provideextreme ease of operation and it is one of the objects of my invention to contribute a latch that may be very easily operated, preferably by the depression of a push button. It is a further object'of this invention to provide a latch of the class described in which the manually operated part,-.preferably a push button, may be readily assembled relatively to the latch after the application of the latch to the compartment door. This makes it possible to provide any one of a series ofdifierent push buttons, as for instance push buttons of different colors, to match the 3 Claims. (01. 292-427) particular color combination of the automobile. I

A further object of the invention is the provision of a latch that may be readily assembled to the compartment door without the utilization of screws or conventional fastening devices.

A still further feature of the invention resides in the utilization of a novel operator for the latch, on which is to be mounted the latch bolt proper,

so. that movement of the operator will contribute movement of the latch bolt. As a feature of this portion of my invention, I provide a unique mounting for a spring between the latch bolt and the operator for simultaneously projecting the latch bolt into latching position and forprojecting the operator into its normal position for manual actuation.

I have thus set forth briefly the objects of {my invention and the features thereof in order that those'skilledin the art may better appreciate the relation between my invention and the numerous prior art structures. Naturally, the contribution of my invention may readily be embodied in other mechanical forms, so that my invention should not be limited to the specific structure hereinafter set forth.

In describing my invention I shall refer to the drawings, of which Fig. 1 is a vertical section through my latch showing it applied to a compartment door. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1

- 2 designated by reference numeral II. A strike I2 is secured by a rivet l3 to the surface ll and is adapted for cooperation with a latch bolt l4 forming part of the latch assembly L- of my invention.

-My latch assembly L includes a mounting member designated by reference numeral 15 applied to door l0, and having 'a bore l6 within which slides what I term an operator IT. The latch bolt of my invention is pivoted through the short shaft 18 to the operator H, and this short shaft 18 rides in opposed slots l9 formed in the mounting member l5 for guiding the operator IT; A further bore 20 is formed in the mounting mem.' her I 5 and leads to the bore l6. Within the bore there is mounted a push button 2| that may be formed of some plastic decorative material with the colorthereof matching the color of the car if that is desired. A surface 22 within the bore 20 limits the inward movement of the push button 2| from the position of Fig. 1 to the position of Fig. 2. A spring 23, rather complex in form, is held as shown. in' assembled relation to the operator I1, and is adapted to enter a V groove 24 -'of the push button 2| to resist outward movement o'f the push button 2| from the bore 20. The formation of thev spring 23 is such that with the operator IT in its, position of Fig.1, the'push button push button "2| will remain in assembled relation to the latch assembly, although it may be removed at any time by a forceful pull thereon to overcome spring 23.

A spring 25 bears at one end against the spring 23 and the operator l1. At its other end spring 25 is mounted about a lug 26 on the latch bolt l4 and presses the latch bolt into its position of Fig. 1. It simultaneously presses the operator l1 into its position of Fig. 1 and against the shoulder 21 between the bores l6 and 20. The latch bolt I4 is held against further pivotal movement in a clockwise direction from the position of Fig. 1 by a cam surface 28 formed on the latch mounting member [5. It is of course now obvious that when the parts are in theposition of Fig. 1 the latch bolt l4 effectively cooperates with the strike 12 to prevent opening movement of the door 10. With the parts in this-position, should the push button 2| be moved from the position of Fig. 1

to the position of Fig. .2, the cam surface 28 will with the operator l1. It will be appreciated that the movement of the operator I! will also be opposed by the spring 25.

In Fig. 2 the latch bolt I4 is shown depressed from coaction with the strike I2 so that the door l may readily be opened. Release of, the push button 2| thereafter, will allow the'spring to project the latch bolt IA and tomove'the operator IT to its normal position of Fig. 1. The push button 2| will of course also be moved to its position of Fig. 1. I believe that the very simple 'con;-'

struction of my invention, theextreme minin run l of parts, its ease of operation and the ready assembly of the latch mechanism will now .besapparent. r

Referring now more particularly *toFigs. 3 and 4, it will be noted that at each,s,ide.of the-mount ing member l5 there is provided a pin about which is coileda wound torsion spring 3'l.- One leg 32 of each spring-3i lies in a groove 33 at each sideroi t e m untin .mentlher t5; Th iotheraie .3! of each sprin 53+ lies a a nst z imetal rein: iiq in fmemberstthat fomnsn rtpfzthe doorzl'fl. viiyt wilghnow Joe readily junduerstood that li e 11 insert the latch mounting member I5 :intoishe 1-3.6 fiormedintheidoor lzflzand platesaethe legs 5!! of sprin s .:.3-l are fiexedput ;of--.the-way, and'zthe mounting member IE5 :is then movedto-the position :of :Eig. 13; Release of the :spring zlegs :34 will then :oause :them to spring into their posia biQIlgQf Fig. i3,. i.n which spositionitheyitend to mcve the latch :mounting :member 1-15 inwardly rof :the door and with the surface of the mounting member firmly against :the door limiting tits in: :movement. Theisprings 1321, rather effec tigel-y prevent ndisassembly of the latch mounting member Hi 'from the .door :IB and maintain -:the pants :in :operating position. The'ssim'ple eform of mountingzthus contributed by:me-is extremely effiective since it eliminates the :need for standard fastening means such :as screws .and-rivtsnwhile simultaneously preventing all rattling and loosen.- ing mf theiparts.

a1 :believewthat'the nature of thezcontribution of my. invention will now the understood zby those skilled :in the art; e I I V *1. ln azlatoh ofrthe class described a mountin'g 7 member "having a fbore, an operator mo ving "-in-I -wardly*in.='said -bore from a forward to an inward position, ':a latch Zbolt' pivoted on "said operator,

a spring p'ositioned between said Elatch' bolt and operator so as 'to'press thelatch!bolt1in"one*direc{ tion filltO :atlimit position against the mounting member while pressing said i operator i=n-another direction into its forward position,- said mounting 'latch'bolt relatively to said operator out of coacation-wi-th said1strike,:and a spring compressed between said-latch bolt and operator for urging said *latch bolt *toward said strike and. said operator routwardly of said ,mounting member.

3. Ina latch of the class described, a mount- 1 ing member, an operator movable endwise in an Numbe Name r 2 5061 C iqckette al- -r- Aprl9 ..1 .2. 7.12 19 .Seclsin .c r- 2; 1 .18 283350 stiles 9. 17.252.1191 15 9.21 Hamm May 17,1923 1 .f .,062 Wal e .Ap .10, 1. .5 Lls9 4s5l10 Sparks 1 Ann 0 ..3+ 2,097,232 Hartman .Oct, 25,1933 -2..,1 6 -.A.nd r on Nov- 154 7 .2 252.5291 And rs hu .12,,1. 1 :2,'2 ..2,5. .Lasch Aue QHLIBAI 2.339.537

opening in said mounting member, a latch bolt pivotally amounted :on' said :operator for i endwise movement therewith and for :pivo'tal .movemerrt relatively thereto, a portion of saidlatch bolt extendingiinto coactionrvitha strike means wherebyathe inwa'rd movement vof said =1'atch bolt with said operator efiects :pivotal movement of said latchbolt relatively :tosaid operatorkout oT- coaction with said strike, aspring compressed between said latch boltand operator for urging said latoh bolt toward said strike fand' :sa'id operator outwardly of said mounting member, a push button movable endwise in-saidopening r move saiid-op erator inwardly, a holding spring ior securing said p ush button to said operator, and-said first spring maintaining said holding spring" in se'cur ing position. 7

REFERENCES aorrma t [The ,iollowing references. are .of ,record in ,the file .of this patent:-. r V

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